Rhace Tarrin
In The Moment
It was a late enough hour aboard the almighty SS Endeavour that many of its denizens were beginning to end their day’s activities. For most people, this was the time they began to wind down and let the events of the day begin to wash over them before they took respite in the sweet embrace of sleep. Rhace Tarrin was one such man, who had spent most of the day in training. This was an entirely common occurrence aboard the ship, where he would take the time to practise his daily routines with his long blade in an effort to keep his skills polished and his senses sharp. Actually, that was most days for him aboard the ship. In fact, Rhace couldn’t even say where the ship was precisely at this point in time; he’d been training for the last few hours and had absolutely lost track of where it was.
By the time that Rhace had finally made it back to his quarters, he was ready to take a shower, which was a great time to unwind and think about the day’s activities. Truthfully, it was probably for the best that he was taking a shower. He’d worked hard today, and he felt extra smelly for the fact that he’d probably sweat out a few litres of fluid. As such, the first priority when he got back to his quarters was to pick up his stuff and head on over to the communal showers. It was one of the things he had been introduced to on his first day of being a member of the guild. It had taken some getting used to, but as with everything that Rhace had learned about the lifestyle that he was embracing, it was nothing that he couldn’t handle. A little change was a good thing.
Even then, there was nobody here at this hour. Like everything else aboard the ship, it was peaceful. A moment passed before he turned on the water and let it begin to heat up, when he realised that he’d probably be here for a while. He just needed to take a break and let all his troubles wash away. So, as he disrobed, entered the shower, and let the first droplets of hot water wash over his body, Rhace felt every bit of tension in his body melt. So too could he lose himself in the sound of the stream of running water from the shower head. Sometimes it was the simple things in life that were the most enjoyable. Steam filled the shower cubicle and he could take the time to start washing himself and lose himself in the depths of thought that would let him recount and reflect on the time that he had spent here as a member of Meliora Vitae.
All things considered, it had not been a bad time. He had made some stalwart allies here, particularly the two guild aces; they had been the first people to show him around and they had remained friends. Even the captain seemed to be an entirely approachable person; they had not truly shared a conversation, but by Dagda’s demeanour there was a strength that accompanied the warmth of a man dedicated to the preservation of nature. The people here were lovely, in general, and all very enthusiastic about the work they did here. That, really, was the big change. Rhace had not entirely expected himself to embrace the concept of being a defender of nature, but really, there was nothing wrong with it from his point of view. The rather jarring thing was the fact that he had originally come to the guild in order to play into the fact that he had intended to use the freedom and ability to travel to become a true wandering swordsman… yet, that now did not quite align with his life path.
Somewhere, along the way, being a good human being had taken precedence over being the perfect scion to the Tarrin name. Yes, he still loved swordplay, of course. Nothing could ever take that away from him. However, under all the refinement and drive to be the best possible fighter that he could possibly be, this place had changed him. Why did being a man of the path of the warrior have to be his only defining characteristic? The guild allowed fighters, of course; the relocation and dispatch division relied on combatants in order to put down some of the biggest threats to the natural world. Cordelia, the ace of his division, had been a wonderful mentor in that regard. She was probably being a good influence, which her kind words and bright demeanour allowed her to do particularly well. However, it had illustrated to him that while he was supposed to be the heir apparent to a long line of blademasters, there were other things in life that also needed his attention. Not only did he need to make sure his mental and emotional needs were taken care of, but he needed to be a more well-rounded person in general. Swordplay was not the only thing on the planet. Swinging a hunk of metal around was exhausting work, for example, meaning he needed something to fill in his downtime. He’d had to take up other hobbies - for example, Rhace was actually getting right back into reading lately, which was probably good to keep his mind sharp. All of this meant that he was far more content to stay and perform the work of the guild, which reflected well on him, and filled him with a sense of pride. If nothing else, that was one of the biggest benefits to all of this– he was actually happy with his current lot in life. Not many people could say that.
What felt like an eternity in the shower– probably really twenty minutes, judging by the redness on his skin from the intense heat that he so loved– finally came to an end as he reached out for the tap handle and shut it off. The room fell silent, a stark contrast to the constant sound of running water that had been playing through his ears. It gave him a moment to pause and exhale, as the steam began to settle.
A sudden trilling beep from his iLac, placed on top of his stack of clothes, broke him out of his reverie. Striding out of the bathroom with his towel around his neck, Rhace collected the device and glanced at the notification sitting on the home screen. A two word message.
You up?
Cordelia, of course. The irony of thinking about her earlier. This was a cheeky message, one he wasn’t entirely expecting. That was enough to bring a smile to Rhace’s lips, as he typed out a fast enough response. Sure, he was originally about to sleep, but there were two inevitabilities: wherever there was Cordelia there was probably Cassiti, and that they wanted to see him for whatever reason. Knowing that he had been requested, there was only one correct reply.
Just got out of the shower. See you both soon.
Oh boy did he want to see what that response brought. He wasn’t going to wait for an answer, however; it was time to get dressed and see what exactly they were after. It did pay to have friends aboard this ship, after all.
MEL @ WW
